This term the Class 8s will be cycling downtown to the local forge, under the guidance of experienced blacksmith Justin Chester. Each student will attend 6 sessions in small groups to learn about the historical aspects of forgery and will each complete a knife project from steel. Our excursions will take place each Wednesday and Friday.

In our first session Justin informed us of the safety elements and introduced the students to the forge and pertinent tools. We learnt how to make charcoal through a burning process and how to fire up the forge.

Steel was heated and the students learnt how to use specific tools to ‘stretch the steel’, flatten and shape into a point.

We heard from Justin many anecdotal stories regarding the importance of a blacksmith in a village. They were such a valued commodity that they were often ‘stolen’ from one village to set up shop in another. They were also maimed on occasion so they could not physically leave. The stories and information fits nicely into our high school curriculum with the main lessons of Medieval History and the influence of the Industrial Revolution.

Robyn